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The Harris County Sheriff's Office has said the investigation continues and, when complete, will be forwarded to a grand jury to determine if charges should be filed.

Experts said getting an indictment for murder, much less a conviction, is unlikely based on the story that has emerged.

"If it's perceived that there is a 'stranger' in his home, there could be a viable claim of self-defense or defense of others," said Todd Dupont, president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association. The grand jurors will have to look at what the father believed at the time of the shooting, Dupont said.

Law enforcement agencies on Friday would not answer questions about the investigation.

Late-night visitor

The girl's father and his family did not respond to requests for an interview.

On Thursday, Harris County investigators said the girl let the boy into the house, in the 22000 block of Bridgestone Ridge. The father told investigators he heard noises coming from her bedroom about 2:30 a.m. He went to investigate and found Johran McCormick in the room. An altercation broke out, officials said, and then the boy was shot once.

Zakia McCormick and the teen's father, Shawn Curley, said they believe he was in bed with the girl when her father came into her bedroom with a gun.

The boy's family said they were told by authorities and others that the girl denied she knew the young man in her bedroom - sparking a deadly confrontation. They said they were also told that when Johran McCormick reached down for something, the girl's father thought he was going for a weapon and shot him in the head.

It was a tragic outcome that could have been avoided, they said.

"I wish the father could have asked more questions, he could have picked up the phone," Curley said. "And for her to say she didn't know who he was, that was most hurtful."

'Wasn't an accident'

Both said they want the 55-year-old father charged with murder and sentenced to life in prison. He has not been arrested or charged with a crime.

"It wasn't an accident," Curley said. "You don't shoot someone in the head on accident."

The day of the shooting, McCormick and Curley thought their son was still in New Orleans for spring break and was not due home until Sunday.

They believe he caught an early ride back and arrived in Houston late Wednesday. Once back in the neighborhood, they said, he arranged to sneak into the girl's home, adding that they didn't know the two were dating.

"For him to be in someone else's house at 2:30 in the morning is shocking to us," Curley said. He said he warned his son often to be wary.

Tried to be realistic

"Every day one of us would tell him, 'Don't go by no little girl's house if her parents don't know you,' " Curley said.

The couple said they've tried to teach their children to be cautious about the world but tried to be realistic about raising a teenager.

"I was a teenager once too," McCormick said. "And I know what teen­agers do."

They said the Klein Collins junior was a typical teen who loved to skateboard, play video games and make music on his computer.

Full of energy and excited about making his way in the world, Johran McCormick was considering enlisting in the U.S. Air Force, his mother said. He was also looking at a career as a mechanic.

Typical big brother

"He just had big dreams," his mother said.

His sister, 14-year-old Diamond, said he was all the things a big brother should be - kind, cruel and always comedic. She was looking forward to being a high school freshman next year while he would be a senior.

"He told me he was going to drive to school," she said, "but I would still have to ride the bus."

Later Friday, about 50-60 people gathered at a community park near the boy's home.